The Cincinnati native logged more than 500 jumps as a member of the famed Golden Knights, the Army’s precision parachute jump team. 32-year-old Sergeant First Class Corey Hood died at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, said Mario Johnson, a Cook County medical examiner’s investigator. Each team member performs thousands of jumps a year, Dixon said.
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Dixon said a group of about 13 parachutists had just separated from a circle formation during a “bombburst procedure” – a stunt in which red smoke trails the parachutists in the air.
Heather Mendenhall told the newspaper she saw one of the men hit a building and then fall.
Donna Dixon, a spokeswoman for the US Army’s Golden Knights, told local NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV that her team’s parachutist was in critical condition and underwent surgery.
The Leap Frog parachutist, who has not been identified, broke his leg in the accident, and he was released from the hospital Saturday.
One witness said it was unnerving because he was still alive but his eyes were closed and he didn’t seem to be present to the moment. The Leap Frog was expected to be discharged Saturday night, but the Golden Knight remained in near-critical condition.
The airshow continued Sunday but the skydiving teams canceled their performances.
Two parachutists were seriously injured Saturday during the Chicago Air & Water Show, fire officials said, and witnesses reported seeing one of the performers clip a building. “He defended our freedom, he amazed so many as a member of the Golden Knights, and he will be missed”.
According to the Golden Knights website, the last parachute jumper to be killed was in 1980, when Sgt.
Before joining the team, parachutists go through an eight-week selection process, followed by a three-month training camp.
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Several performers have died while performing at air shows around the world this summer, according to news reports. The show, which runs from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., is centered at North Avenue Beach, although attendees can also see it from other nearby lakefront areas.
